Recipe: Asst Farm Manager Stephanie’s Favorite Dish

Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Beets, Kale,

This is our assistant farm manager’s favorite dish!
SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small-medium beets (see Tip)
• 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) walnut halves, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup wheat berries, soaked for 4 hours/overnight & drained
• Salt
• 1 bunch kale
• 3/4 cup Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing (recipe follows)
• Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Trim the beets and wrap them in one or two foil packets, depending on their size, keeping like-sized beets with like-sized beets. Put them in a baking dish to prevent beet juice from leaking into your oven and roast until tender and fragrant, 35 to 40 mins. Use a small paring knife or skewer to check for doneness. The knife or skewer should go in easily with a small amount of resistance. Set them aside to steam in their foil packets. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the skins off with your fingertips, and cut the beets into bite-sized wedges. Alternatively, the beets can be roasted up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, left in their foil wrappers, until ready to use.
3. Lower the oven to 300 degrees F.
4. In a small baking dish, arrange the walnuts in a single layer. Toast until brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
5. While the beets are roasting and the walnuts are toasting, set a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and add the wheat berries and a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover partially, and cook until tender and pleasantly chewy, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the wheat berries sit until you are ready to assemble the salad.
6. Meanwhile, trim, stem, and wash the kale and put it in a vegetable steamer set over boiling water. Steam until tender and wilted, but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Remove immediately to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop coarsely and set aside.
7. When all the ingredients are ready, drain the wheat berries and transfer them to a serving bowl. Add the beet wedges, kale, and walnuts. Add the dressing and toss thoroughly. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately or within 2 hours at room temperature. The salad can also be covered and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Tip: I like to roast beets this way whenever I have the oven on for something else. It’s an energy-saving strategy and a great way to have cooked beets on hand for adding to salads anytime.

SIMPLE SESAME TAHINI DRESSING
Time Required: about 10 minutes active
Yield: about 3/4 cup

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• Salt
• 1/3 cup sesame tahini paste
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. In a blender, combine the garlic paste, tahini, 1/3 cup water, the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.